1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image with a high resolution and a high degree of dot reproducibility, and a control method of the image forming apparatus thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent times, a wide range of demands have been made with regard to an image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine or a printer. The demands include a restriction on copying or forming of an image of a original document that includes a two-dimensional bar code image, such as a QR Code (a registered trademark of Denso Wave Incorporated). Forming a two-dimensional bar code, which contains a large volume of information within an area of a limited size, requires forming the image with a high precision that achieves both a very high resolution and a high dot reproducibility.
Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 2005-249873 illustrates an image forming apparatus that measures the density of a developing material image that is formed upon a photosensitive drum, and detects a degradation in a tone or a developer solution thereof. Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 2004-342039 illustrates an information recording medium that installs a function that is capable of recovering the QR code even if a portion of the QR Code is lacking, and that facilitates reading the QR Code even if a reproducibility of the lacking portion thereof is poor. Japanese Patent Laid Open No. H03-233576 illustrates an image forming apparatus that compares information that is read from a original document that is stored upon a storage apparatus with information that is read from an outputted object, and adjusts a parameter that is used in forming an image in order that the respective information matches. As described herein, a wide range of methods are proposed for achieving the forming of the image with a high precision with respect to the image forming apparatus.
With respect to the image forming apparatus and the information recording medium described as per the foregoing, however, a number of problems exist, as will be described hereinafter. As an instance, the image forming apparatus disclosed according to Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 2005-249873 places an emphasis upon the detection of the density of the image that is formed, in order to adjust a parameter with regard to the formation of the image thereby. A problem arises therewith, however, in that the reproducibility of a bend portion of a dot or the precision in the detection of an edge effect, which constitute a most important aspect with regard to forming the image of the two-dimensional bar code, is low. It is to be understood that the bend portion of the dot refers to a portion that constitutes a 90 degree shape with a pixel and another pixel that configures the two-dimensional bar code. The edge effect refers to toner largely adhering to an edge portion of a line shaped image. With regard to the information recording medium disclosed according to Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 2004-342039, which involves adding the information in order to recover data in a region of a portion of the QR Code that is encrypted, a problem that arises, as a consequence, is that the volume of information that is available to be encoded is reduced, and it becomes impossible to encrypt a volume of information that will satisfy a user. With regard to the image forming apparatus disclosed according to Japanese Patent Laid Open No. H03-233576, which involves copying an original document image to a recording material and reading therefrom, a problem arises in that a processing thereof takes time and consumes the recording material. A further problem that arises is that the user is required to take time and trouble in moving the recording medium whereupon the original document image is copied to an apparatus that reads in the data thereupon. When reading what has been copied from the original document image, a deterioration in the dot reproducibility, such as a durability thereof, leads to an inability to accurately ascertain a property of the image forming apparatus that performed the copying. When reading what has been copied from the original document image, a reading property of the apparatus that reads in the data may have an effect upon the image information that is read thereby, thus causing a deterioration in the precision of ascertaining the property of the image forming apparatus proper.